Bangladesh Chhatra League in the early hours of Saturday staged a sudden midnight march, the BCL鈥檚 first public demonstration since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, in Chattogram city.
In protest against the recent arrest warrant issued for Sheikh Hasina, the student wing of Awami League鈥檚 50 leaders and activists began the march at around 1:15am from the Cheragi Pahar intersection and concluded abruptly in front of the Chattogram Press Club in Jamal Khan area.
Videos of the march were shared on the verified Facebook page of the AL.
鈥楾he streets of Chattogram are echoing with the slogans of 鈥淛oy Bangla鈥�,鈥� they wrote, adding that the country鈥檚 founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman鈥檚 ideology could not be silenced by oppression, tyranny, or torture.
The participants chanted slogans such as 鈥楯oy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu鈥� and 鈥楽heikh Hasinar Bhay Nai, Rajpath Chari Nai鈥�.
The demonstration drew criticism from the Students鈥� Against Discrimination Movement leaders. They accused the Awami League of exploiting police inaction to stage their protest.
Rasel Ahmed, a coordinator of Chattogram, condemned the march, saying, 鈥榃e have called for a protest rally on Saturday at 3:00pm at Jamal Khan to denounce the use of streets stained with the blood of martyrs to promote the rehabilitation of the murderer Hasina.鈥�
The Awami League activists and leaders were last publicly seen on the streets of Chattogram on August 4, the day before Sheikh resigned and fled to India.聽
